Rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure

ABSTRACT

A rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure includes a tube, an axle sleeve, a hollow piston rod, a resilient member and an exterior cap. The axle sleeve includes a holding space, an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holding surface and a material discharge hole. The hollow piston rod includes a flanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore, a rod part and a material discharge cap. The hollow piston rod closes the material discharge hole in the retracted position and being with the central bore, the holding space, and the material discharge hole in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod is in the extended position. A supporting unit is formed in the receiving space to support the rolling balls but does not totally restrict the rolling balls&#39; movement, and the rolling balls&#39; final positions can be determined by the material discharge cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to a cosmetic container structure and moreparticularly to a rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure thatcan not only prevent liquid overflow when its enclosure cap is screwedoff for usage, but also prevent liquid from leaking when its enclosurecap is screwed on.

2. Description of Related Art

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a rolling-ball style cosmetic containerincludes a tube 1, a sleeve part 2 and a cap 5. The sleeve part 2 has acentral bore 3. The sleeve part 2 is mounted a ball 4 in the centralbore 3. The tube 1 contains cosmetic liquid. The sleeve part 2 isconnected to the tube 1 by being sleeved inside the opening. The tube 1comprises a first threaded part. The cap 5 comprises a second threadedpart. The first threaded part of the tube 1 is threadedly connected tothe second threaded part of the cap 5.

However, conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container may not havethe function of leaking-proof. Thus, the liquid may leak out easily whenit is in storage or pressed. It may be annoying for the user to dealwith the problem of leaking.

Besides, the liquid directly contacts with the ball so the amount ofdischarging liquid can't be controlled. Conventional rolling-ball stylecosmetic container may discharge too much liquid at one time and causeswaste of the cosmetic liquid contained in the tube. Furthermore, thesealing of the conventional rolling-ball style cosmetic container is notreliable and thus cosmetic liquid materials contained therein may becomedry or deteriorate in quality.

Furthermore, when using soft-tubes or container made from softmaterials, the sealing of the inner tube solely depends on the rollingballs, and the sealing may be affected by outside conditions such astemperature, pressure, etc. and when the user screw off the cap, theliquid inside may automatically shoot out, sometimes including therolling balls. Therefore, conventional containers are made of hardmaterials along with the rolling balls. Even though the container madeof hard materials can solve the problem mentioned above, it may bedifficult to squeeze out the liquid with high viscosity when thecontainer is made of hard materials. Thus, the need for improvementstill exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide arolling-ball style cosmetic container structure including a tube, anaxle sleeve, a hollow piston rod, a resilient member and an exteriorcap. The tube includes a containing space for containing liquid, anopening and a threaded part, the opening arranged axially at one end andthe threaded part mounted near the opening. The axle sleeve includes aholding space, an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holdingsurface and a material discharge hole extending between the holdingspace and the containing space of the tube. The resistant holdingsurface formed inside the axle sleeve that is connected to the tube bybeing sleeved at inside of the opening. The hollow piston rod includes aflanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore and arod part. The receiving space is used for placing at least one rollingball, the flanged disk is mounted on the rod part, the annular flange ismounted on the rod part, and the hollow piston rod is movably mounted inthe holding space of the axle sleeve between an extended position and aretracted position. The hollow piston rod closes the material dischargehole in the retracted position and being with the central bore, theholding space, and the material discharge hole in fluid communicationwhen the hollow piston rod is in the extended position.

The hollow piston rod also includes a material discharge cap with aplurality of position restricting holes and the number of the positionrestricting holes is identical to the number of the rolling balls. Thematerial discharge cap is threadedly mounted on the hollow piston rodand the position restricting holes are configured to prevent the rollingballs from falling out. A sealing gasket is placed between the hollowpiston rod and the material discharge cap to further prevent the liquidinside from leaking.

A supporting unit which may include one or more supporting bars can beformed in the receiving space to support the rolling balls and thesupporting unit will not completely restrict the movement of the rollingballs thereon. In other words, the rolling ball's initial position isnot so restricted on the supporting unit and the rolling ball's finalposition can be determined by the position restricting holes of thematerial discharge cap. In one embodiment, the supporting unit can becross-shaped. In other embodiments, the supporting unit can be of othershapes as long as it serves the purpose of supporting but not totallyrestricting the movement of the rolling balls thereon. Since eachrolling ball's initial position is not restricted by the supportingunit, the assembling process can be simplified without involving labors,which can not only increase the assembling efficiency by using automaticassembling process, but also reduce the possibility of contaminating ofthe liquid inside indirectly from the labor. Furthermore, this improveddesign can solve the problem that the rolling ball may be stuck inconventional receiving space when the problem of misalignment of therolling ball occurs.

The resilient member includes a first end and a second end, the firstend contacts with the resistant holding surface, the second end contactswith the annular flange of the piston rod. The annular flange is greaterthan the inner flange. The annular flange is stopped by the innerflange. The exterior cap has a pressing member and an inner threadedportion; the inner threaded portion threadedly connected to the threadedpart of the tube. The pressing member presses the hollow piston rod andconstricts the resilient member; the rod part blocks the materialdischarge hole of the axle sleeve from leaking. The exterior cap isremovably connected to the tube to enclose the opening.

In a first aspect of the invention the tube is a flexible tube.

In a second aspect of the invention the tube is a blow-moldingcontainer.

In a third aspect of the invention the tube is an injection-moldingcontainer and pen-shaped.

In a fourth aspect of the invention the tube is an injection-moldingvacuum container.

In a fifth aspect of the invention the receiving space is mounted threerolling balls.

By utilizing the invention, the following advantages are obtained.First, the present invention has the function of valve assembly to beable to control the amount of discharging liquid. The present inventionhas the function of leaking-proof. When the cap is capped, the hollowpiston rod blocks the material discharge hole tightly. Thus, the presentinvention doesn't have the problem of leaking liquid.

The invention will become more obvious from the following descriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of arolling-ball style cosmetic container in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rolling-ball style cosmeticcontainer in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rolling-ball style cosmeticcontainer when uncapped;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of therolling ball style cosmetic container according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of therolling-ball style cosmetic container according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a conventional rolling-ball style cosmeticcontainer; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional rolling-ball stylecosmetic container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a rolling-ball style cosmetic containerstructure includes a tube 10, an axle sleeve 20, a hollow piston rod 30,a resilient member 40 and an exterior cap 50. The tube 10 includes acontaining space 11 for containing liquid, an opening 12 and a threadedpart 13, the opening 12 arranged axially at one end. The threaded part13 is mounted near the opening 12.

The axle sleeve 20 includes a holding space 21, an inner flange 212, anouter flange 211, a resistant holding surface 22 and a materialdischarge hole 23 extending between the holding space 21 and thecontaining space 11 of the tube 10. The resistant holding surface 22 isladder-shaped. The resistant holding surface 22 formed inside the axlesleeve 20. The axle sleeve 20 is connected to the tube 10 by beingsleeved at the inside of the opening 12.

The hollow piston rod 30 includes a flanged disk 31, an annular flange321, a receiving space 33, a central bore and a rod part 32. Thereceiving space 33 is for mounting at least one rolling ball 34, theflanged disk 31 is mounted on the rod part 32, the annular flange 321 ismounted on the rod part 32, the hollow piston rod 30 is movably mountedin the holding space 21 of the axle sleeve 20 between an extendedposition and a retracted position. The hollow piston rod 30 closes thematerial discharge hole 23 in the retracted position and being with thecentral bore 35, the holding space 21, and the material discharge hole23 in fluid communication when the hollow piston rod 30 is in theextended position.

The hollow piston rod 30 also includes a material discharge cap 37 witha plurality of position restricting holes 371 and the number of theposition restricting holes 371 is identical to the number of the rollingballs 34. The material discharge cap 37 is threadedly mounted on thehollow piston rod 30 and the position restricting holes 371 areconfigured to prevent the rolling balls 34 from falling out. A sealinggasket 38 is placed between the hollow piston rod 30 and the materialdischarge cap 37 to further prevent the liquid inside from leaking.

A supporting unit 331 which may include one or more supoorting bars 332can be formed in the receiving space 33 to support the rolling balls 34and the supporting unit 331 will not completely restrict the movement ofthe rolling balls 34 thereon. In other words, the rolling ball 34'sinitial position is not so restricted on the supporting unit 331 and therolling ball 34's final position can be determined by the positionrestricting holes 371 of the material discharge cap 37. In oneembodiment, the supoorting bars 332 can be arranged to be cross-shaped.In other embodiments, the supporting bars 332 can be arranged to beother shapes (triangular, square, circular, etc.) as long as thesupporting bars 332 serve the purpose of supporting but not totallyrestricting the movement of the rolling balls 34 thereon. Since eachrolling ball 34's initial position is not restricted by the supportingunit 331, the assembling process can be simplified without involvinglabors, which can not only increase the assembling efficiency by usingautomatic assembling process, but also reduce the possibility ofcontaminating of the liquid inside indirectly from the labor.Furthermore, this improved design can solve the problem that the rollingball 34 may be stuck in conventional receiving space when the problem ofmisalignment of the rolling ball 34 occurs.

The resilient member 40 includes a first end and a second end, the firstend contacts with the resistant holding surface 22, the second endcontacts with the annular flange 321 of the hollow piston rod 30. Theannular flange 321 is greater than the inner flange 212. The annularflange 321 is stopped by the inner flange 212.

The exterior cap 50 has a pressing member 52 and an inner threadedportion 51. The inner threaded portion 51 is threadedly connected to thethreaded part 13 of the tube 10. The pressing member 52 presses thehollow piston rod 30 and constricts the resilient member 40. The rodpart 32 blocks the material discharge hole 23 of the axle sleeve toavoid leaking. The exterior cap 50 is removably connected to the tube 10to enclose the opening 12.

Preferably, the tube 10 is a flexible tube.

Preferably, the tube 10 is a blow-molding container.

Preferably, the tube 10 is an injection-molding container andpen-shaped.

Preferably, the tube 10 is an injection-molding vacuum container.

Preferably, the receiving space 33 is mounted three rolling balls 34.

In use as shown in FIG. 3, an individual may first unscrew the cap 50and remove the cap 50 from the tube 10. The resilient member 40 is aspring. The hollow piston rod 30 is immediately pushed forward by theexpanding spring pushing the annular flange 321. Also, the materialdischarge hole 23 is not blocked by the rod part 32. Hence, the tube 10is in fluid communication with the central bore 35 of the hollow pistonrod 30 through the material discharge hole 23. An individual can use thepresent invention to discharge cosmetic liquid to massage and nourishskin. The annular flange 321 may be blocked by the inner flange 212 toprevent the hollow piston rod 30 to depart from the axle sleeve 20.

The exterior cap 50 is removably connected to the tube 10 to enclose theopening 12 by utilizing the pressing member 52 to press the hollowpiston rod 30 to block the material discharge hole 23.

By utilizing the invention, the following advantages are obtained.First, the present invention has the function of valve assembly to beable to control the amount of discharging liquid. The present inventionhas the function of leaking-proof. When the cap 50 is capped, the hollowpiston rod 30 blocks the material discharge hole 23 tightly. Thus, thepresent invention doesn't have the problem of leaking liquid.

The present invention is an improvement of the inventor's priorinvention that has been granted as U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,360. Combiningwith the hollow piston rod (30), material discharge cap (37) and thesealing gasket (38), the problems mentioned above and shortcomings ofconventional rolling-ball cosmetic pens can be solved and eliminated andthe container made of soft materials can be used along with the rollingballs. The valve design in the present invention can also control theflow of the liquid in the tube.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means ofspecific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could bemade thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from thescope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.

1. A rolling-ball style cosmetic container structure comprising: a tubeincluding a containing space for containing liquid, an opening and athreaded part, the opening arranged axially at one end and the threadedpart mounted near the opening; an axle sleeve including a holding space,an inner flange, an outer flange, a resistant holding surface and amaterial discharge hole extending between the holding space and thecontaining space of the tube; the resistant holding surface formedinside the axle sleeve and the axle sleeve connected to the tube bybeing sleeved inside of the opening; a hollow piston rod including aflanged disk, an annular flange, a receiving space, a central bore and arod part, the receiving space used for receiving at least one rollingball, the flanged disk and the annular flange being mounted on the rodpart, and the hollow piston rod movably mounted in the holding space ofthe axle sleeve between an extended position and a retracted position,wherein the hollow piston rod closes the material discharge hole in theretracted position and is with the central bore, the holding space, andthe material discharge hole in fluid communication when the hollowpiston rod is in the extended position, wherein a supporting unit whichcomprises a plurality of supporting bars is formed in the receivingspace to support the rolling balls but does not completely restrict therolling balls' movement, and the hollow piston rod further comprises amaterial discharge cap with a plurality of position restricting holes,the material discharge cap threadedly mounted on the hollow piston rodand the position restricting holes configured to secure each rollingball's position in the receiving space; a resilient member comprising afirst end and a second end, the first end contacts with the resistantholding surface, the second end contacts with the annular flange of thepiston rod, the annular flange being greater than the inner flange, theannular flange being stopped by the inner flange; and an exterior caphaving a pressing member and an inner threaded portion; the innerthreaded portion threadedly connected to the threaded part of the tube;the pressing member presses the hollow piston rod and constricts theresilient member; the rod part blocks the material discharge hole of theaxle sleeve to avoid leaking; the exterior cap being removably connectedto the tube to enclose the opening.
 2. The cosmetic container structureof claim 1, wherein the tube is a soft/flexible tube.
 3. The cosmeticcontainer structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is a blow-moldingcontainer.
 4. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein thetube is an injection-molding container and pen-shaped.
 5. The cosmeticcontainer structure of claim 1, wherein the tube is an injection-moldingvacuum container.
 6. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1,wherein the supporting bars are arranged to be cross-shaped.
 7. Thecosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the number of theposition restricting hole is identical to the number of the rollingball.
 8. The cosmetic container structure of claim 1, wherein the hollowpiston rod further comprises a sealing gasket to prevent the liquid inthe tube from leaking.
 9. The cosmetic container structure of claim 7,wherein three rolling balls are positioned in the receiving space.